News

Govt. has done little to bring down prices, especially of food items – LSSP

Published

4 years ago

2021/04/18

The ban on crowd gathering in view of the Covid-19 epidemic led to cancellation of the usual events that is a feature of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities. But the practice of visiting the homes of relatives and friends with “rasa kavili” could have gone ahead as usual. But this was greatly limited this New Year, mainly due to the high prices of food items.

It is unfortunate that the Government has done little to bring down prices, specially of food items. Present scientific studies show that the malnutrition level has gone up to a record level of 18% and that the poverty level has reached 60%. The outcome is a high level of hunger, and many families have only one proper meal a day.

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), along with the SLCP, has called on the Government to strengthen the Cooperative Movement and ensure that essential food items are made available at a reasonable price. The high price, specially of vegetables and fruits, is due to massive profiteering by middlemen. The farmer gets a pittance and the consumer is fleeced. The LSSP appeals to the Government to take the side of the farmer and the consumer, not the middleman.

Active intervention by the Government is required if prices are to be brought down. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has shown his concern and suggested that the way out is to produce more. Theoretically, if the supply exceeds the demand, the prices should come down. But unfortunately in Sri Lanka this does not happen. One reason is that the middlemen have their own stores and stock the extra produce, create an artificial scarcity and raise prices.

At the butt end of criticism are two companies which buy the paddy at rock bottom prices. They hold the stock in their massive stores. They have developed a monopoly of the milling industry with their large mills, putting the small millers out of business. Thereby, they control the supply of rice in the country, making huge profits from all consumers.

This calls for strong determined action by Government. The state must intervene actively. When the global drought and food scarcities occurred in 1972, the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government with Dr. N M Perera, the LSSP leader as the Finance Minister, strengthened and expanded the Paddy Marketing Board and its Stores, buying rice from the farmers at the fair guaranteed price. The Marketing Department and its stores bought the vegetables and fruits at a fair price from the farmers.

These were supported by Sathosa with regard to imported goods and the CWE with regard to local produce, as wholesellers. The consumer got all his requirements at a fair price through the retail outlets of the Cooperative stores. The profiteering by the middlemen and private traders dropped drastically. They were forced to come down in their prices. The LSSP calls upon the Government to take similar action now.

This situation is aggravated by the rural debt crisis. Most families are deeply in debt and are forced to sell their produce at low prices to the mudalalis and local money lenders. Once they settle their loans at harvest time, to cover the cost for the next kanna and harvest (when money comes in to the farmer) he is compelled to take further loans. The farmer is caught in a debt trap which keeps him in poverty. The Rural Banks can give loans at a low interest level for all types of agriculture but for some reason he farmers are not made aware of this.

There should be an active drive to make the farmers aware of this route to escape the debt trap. The Central Bank was giving loans to Rural Banks from a Special Fund at a low annual interest rate of 7%. It is the duty of all officials to inform the farmers and ensure that they get the benefits and escape from the debt trap. The politicians and the officials must not allow the middlemen to get their profits at the expense of the farmers and the consumers.

The people are facing a very difficult time not only because of the high cost of living, but also due to the drop in incomes. Many garment factories are closing down or cutting staff and even salaries. This applies to a varying extent to many private institutions and shops. The Government has made some effort to help these private institutions but it is not adequate. The large number who are going hungry must be provided with food either as dry rations or cooked meals immediately. I appeal to the Government to delay its development program. Highways can wait. The immediate need is to feed the hungry. Give this first priority.

At this time of crisis the private sector too should share the burden with the Government. It is absurd to keep the upper limit of personal income tax to just 14%. In most European countries the initial minimum is 14% and it rises to around 45%. In some Scandinavian countries it is 60%. Sri Lanka should raise the upper limit to at least 45%. I hope that the Government will rectify this shortcoming as soon as possible.

The luxury lifestyle of the few must be checked soon as otherwise those who are hungry may be forced to take to the streets. The LSSP, SLCP and other Left parties are having a separate May Day celebration, as was done before on several occasions, while being in the Government. The working class have many grievances that need to be addressed. We hope to raise these matters on their behalf on Workers Day.

– Prof. Tissa Vitarana

All News Advertisement

News

Cop who accepted Rs 3000 bribe nabbed by CIABOC

Published

4 hours ago

2025/07/15

Priyan

A police officer attached to the Raddolugama police station who accepted a bribe of Rs 3000/- from a motorist has been nabbed by officers attached to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Monday (14) evening.

It is alleged that the police officer demanded Rs 3000/- from the motorist to return his driving licence without prosecuting him for a traffic offence.

News

GMOA swings into action on Vithana’s disclosure of MPs’ salaries, etc.

Published

8 hours ago

2025/07/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

MP Vithana / Dr. Sugathadasa

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has sought an explanation from Parliament regarding how PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is applied to parliamentarians.

GMOA Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa has written to the Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Information was sought on 09 July, 2025, in the wake of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kalutara district parliamentarian Jagath Vithana posting his pay sheets from January to May this year on his Facebook.

In addition to information on PAYE, the GMOA has posed a number of other questions to the Secretary General regarding the parliamentarians’ salary as well as pensions.

Parliament passed the RTI Act on 24 June, 2016, and it came into effect on 03 February, 2017. This act, introduced through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, in 2015, is meant to promote transparency and accountability in government.

New controversy has erupted in the wake of Nawa Janatha Peramuna lodging a complaint with the CIABOC seeking an investigation into Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne abusing public property, a claim denied by the Secretary General of Parliament.

According to Vithana’s May pay sheet, his monthly allowance is Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, sitting allowance Rs 5,000, office allowance Rs 100,000, fuel allowance Rs 97,428.92 and transport allowance Rs. 15,000. His take home pay is Rs 317, 760.92 after the deduction of Rs 1,200 for catering, stamp duty Rs. 25 and Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT).

Asked whether he regretted the releasing of pay sheets, lawmaker Vithana told The Island that in the run-up to the last parliamentary elections, held in November 2024, he had promised the Kalutara electorate he wouldn’t draw his salary. The MP said that however, he later felt the salary should be accepted and used in support of public welfare projects undertaken by him. “Therefore, the money was used appropriately,” he said, adding that both the government and Opposition MPs reacted with resentment. “I feel sort of isolated in Parliament. Hardly anyone talks to me,” MP Vithana said.

Dr. Sugathadasa said that having perused the pay sheets posted online, the GMOA had felt the urgent need to seek a clarification from Parliament as the lawmakers appeared to have received special status. The top GMOA official emphasised they wanted to establish the truth and used the RTI law to obtain information regarding the MPs’ salaries, pensions and other related information. “The GMOA made the request on 09 July, 2025. We are confident the Parliament will answer our queries,” Dr. Sugathadasa said.

Parliament meets only eight days a month. Attendance is not compulsory and there is no fixed time for lawmakers to attend sittings. Over the years, sittings have been suspended for lack of quorum.

The Island asked the GMOA official whether they would seek the intervention of the RTI Commission in case the Parliament declined to reveal the information sought by them. Dr. Sugathadasa said that the Executive Committee of the GMOA would decide the course of action if Parliament withheld information.

A few years ago Chamara Sampath, of Wijeya Newspapers, successfully moved the Court of Appeal against the Parliament after the latter refused to disclose names of Members of Parliament (MPs) who had handed over their respective declarations of assets and liabilities in 2018 and list of names of MPs who have handed over their Declarations from 2010 to the time he made the request (21 June, 2018).

The Court on 28 February, 2023, reaffirmed the RTI Commission’s stand that Declarations of Assets and Liabilities Law of 1975 (DALL) didn’t prevail over the Right to Information Act no. 12 of 2016 (RTI Act).

According to the Parliament website, an MP is paid Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, driver’s allowance Rs 3,500 (only if driver is not provided by government). Fuel allowances are paid based on the distance from Parliament to the electoral district which each MP was elected and the approved market price of one litre of diesel on the first day of every month, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, transport allowance for personal staff Rs 10,000, and stamps worth Rs 350,000 issued to each MP annually.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

News

Udaya alleges Prez hasn’t given up efforts to bring in outsider as AG

Published

8 hours ago

2025/07/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka Educator Service Lecturers’ Trade Union yesterday (14) protested outside the Education Ministry, demanding that the government address their grievances. (Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha)

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila says President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has delayed making a permanent appointment to the post of Auditor General in a bid to bring in an outsider early next year.

Addressing the media yesterday (14), Attorney-at-Law Gammanpila said that three civil society members of the Constitutional Council, who opposed the President’s move, would be completing their term in early January next year. Instead of appointing Dharmapala Gammanpila as the Auditor General, the President had given him only an extension in service so as to get rid of him at the first available opportunity and bring in his crony from the Kelaniya University.

The former lawmaker said that the success of the President’s plan depended on the appointment of pliant civil society members to the CC, ready to help advance the NPP’s agenda.